Feather pecking in groups of growing bantams in relation to floor litter substrate and plumage colour

1. As part of a programme investigating the causation of pecking damage in fowls, this experiment tested a proposal that birds may receive more feathe r pecks when their plumage colour contrasts with floor litter colour, becau se litter particles on plumage (as a consequence of dustbathing) may then h ave greater stimulus value. 2. Groups consisting of 7 light- and 7 dark-coloured bantams were reared fr om 1 to 11 weeks of age in pens with either wood shavings (light coloured, n=6) or peat (dark coloured, n=6) floor litter. 3. Feather loss from pecking commenced in the 3rd week of life and increase d thereafter, but observed pecking damage scores were not consistent with t he hypothesis being tested. 4. Despite many more pecks at birds being seen (over 10 weeks) in the wood shavings groups' (661 at particles on plumage, 1795 not at particles) than in peat groups (205, 787), there was no effect of litter substrate on pecki ng damage. The only evidence supporting the proposal was the finding that, in groups on wood shavings, significantly more pecks at particles on plumag e were directed from light coloured birds towards dark ones, than from ligh t to light, dark to light, or dark. to dark. 5. Feather eating was confirmed from the presence of feather material in 2% to 15% of faecal droppings collected from each group at 11 weeks, but thes e proportions were not correlated with pecking damage scores. 6. The results imply that: only some feather pecks/pulls were damaging and only some eaten feathers were pulled from other birds.